Talking-machine apparatus



E. H. AMET. TALKING MACHINE APPARATUS.

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 15, 1896.

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WITNESSES: HA

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NITED STATES PAT NT OFFICEr ED\VARD,,H. AMET, OF \VYAUKEGAN,,ILLINOIS;

TALKING-MACHINE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,071, dated December 15, 1896. Application filed fieptember 21, 1894. Renewed June 13, 1896. Serial No. 595,497. (No model.)

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD, H. AMET, a citizen of the United States, residing in VVaukegan, in the county of Lake and State of'Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Talking-Machine Apparatus, of

' I tion a complete graphophone and motor for running it in connection with a coin-controlling mechanism. The first cost of this complete machine for each station is therefore considerable, and it is a matter of continual expense to keep it in repair, as the machine is frequently manipulated by careless and in experienced persons. t

The object of my improvement is to provide a talking-machine apparatus wherein a large number of stations may be supplied or operated by a single talking-machine or graphophone at a central station, thus saving the expense of the largenumbcr of graphophones necessarily employed heretofore, (one for each station,) and whereby, also, at the same time the words, songs, or music reproduced at the several stations may be freed from the disagreeable harsh and scratchy noise due to the movement of the graphophone-needleover the wax cylinder, while at the same time the use of the apparatus at each and every station may be controlled by coin or token through a slot-machine mcchanism located at each station.

To this end my invention consists, in connection with a graphophone or other talkingmachine located at a-c'entral station, of a Va: riableresistance pile supported upon and connected with the needle of the talking-machine, this variable-resistance pile being included in the primary circuit ofan induction-- coilthe secondary circuit of which leads to the several stations, each of which stations has a telephone adapted to be included in this secondary or telephone circuit .by a circuitbreaker operated by the coin or token and controlled by a time-train or clock mechan-.

ism located at each station, so that through described, and

embodying my invention.

the action of the variable-resistance pile all the vibrations of the talking-machine needle will be reproduced in each and all of the telephones that may be in circuit.

My improvement also consists in the novel features and combinations herein shown and particularly specified in the claims.

' ,In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, I have shown at Figure 1 a diagram of a system orapparatus Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken through thencedie of the talking-machine. Fig. dis a front view of the box or case located atleach sfra:

tion furnished with the slot for receiving the coin or token and containing the circuitbreaker and time-train or clock mechanism The talking-machine B may be ofany known or suitable construction, and its'parts need no detailed descriptiom'b being the wax cylinder; b, the needleyb the lever carrying the needle; if, the diaphragm; b the connection between the diaphragm and needlelever; 6 the pivoted lever supporting the needle-lever; I), the ring 01' pin to which the diaphragm is secured, angl bthe thimble upon which the ear-tube is ordinarily secu red..

The variable-resistance pile D consists,preferably, 'of a terminal carbon disk d, a series of' loose carbonvdisks d, and the other terminal.

carbon disk, 11 The lower carbon disk at has fixed to it a core or pin of wood fiber or other insulating material d upon which the loose carbon disks d an d d aresupported. The variable-resistance pile D is supported upon a light spring (1, preferably of a U shape, one limb of which is fixed to the thimble b and thc'other 1 which is preferably furnished with a rubber cushion 017 on the end bearing against the diaphragm. The loose terminal carbon disk (1 is made thicker and heavier than the intermediate disk (1', so that its gravity will serve to maintain the requisite pressure or contactbetween the several carbon disks of the pile. 13y reason of the connection between the variable-resistance or variable-contact pile D and the needle of the talking-machine the vibrations of the needle produce corresponding pulsations in the electric cur rent-on the circuit E (one terminal of which is connected to the fixed terminal d and the other to the loose terminal (1 owing to the variation in contact and pressure between the several carbon disks of the pile produced by the vibrations of the needle communicated to the pile, and the pulsations or variations in the primary current E are of course repro- "duced in the induced current on the telephone-circuit II, leading to the several sta' -tions K, at which are located the boxes L, containing the telephones M, circuit-breaker N,

. and time-train or clock mechanism I.

The box or case'L may be of any ordinary form or construction, and is furnished with a slot or opening L for receiving the coin or token and a chute or conductor L for conveying the coin or token to the pivotal arm or lever N, which moves or operates the circuit-breaker spriu g or contact-piece N. The

other contact-piece, which engages the contact-piece N, consists of a pin or projection p on one of the wheels 1) of the time-train or clock mechanism 11, so that the secondary-or telephone circuit II, which remains normally closed through the contact-pieces N and p and the clock mechanism, may be broken during the interval that the wheel 1) makes one revolution, so that during this interval the telephone M will thus be included in the circuit and ready for use, as clearly illustrated in Fig. i. The time required fol-one revolution of the wheel fl-of the clock-train is suflicient to complete the song, piece 0t music, or other composition on the wax cylinder of the talking-machine B.

The spring-contact or circuit-breaker N is preferably made of the form indicated in the drawings, and the strength of the spring should be comparatively slight, so that when the contact-pin j) strikes against the spring and the clock-train is thus stopped the spring will be slightly compressed and thus cause the spring to come on the opposite side of the pin 1), when the spring is again momentarily swung out of the path of the pin 1) and returned to position. But for this compression of the spring-contact N there would be danger of its again striking on the wrong side of the pin 1), as the clock-train naturally starts somewhat slowly, and the wheel 1), having a very slow movement, and as the coin dropping against the lever N only momentarily moves the circuit-breaker N out of the path of the pin pon the wheel p 1'; .preferably provide two telephones M M at each station, so that the user .may hold one toeach ear, as this adds somewha'tto the ease of hearing and serves in some measure to exclude outside noises or sounds.

The operation is as follows: By the motor 0 the talking-machine I3 is kept continuously running at the central station, so that whenevera coin or token may be dropped into the slot L of the box L at any one or more of the workingorlsub stations K the short circuit R, through theclock mechanism P and contacts N 1), will be broken by action of the coin against the circuit-breaker lever N for the time or interval required for the wheel 1) to make one complete revolution, thus putting the telephones M Min the circuit II ready for use. revolution, the short circuit R, through the clock mechanism, will be again automatically closed by the pin striking against the contact N, thus cutting out the telephones. As the circuit His a closed circuit at each and all the stations K, either through the clock mechanism or through the telephone, one or more or all the telephones may be used at one and the same time, thus reproducing at one or more or all the substations the composition on the cylinder of the talking-machine. 0rdinarily I arrange the clock mechanism so that the time required for one complete revolution of the wheel 1) is sufficient to repeat twice the song or other composition on the cylinder of the talking-machine, so that any user may hear the same from its beginning to its end once at whatever point the operation may happen to begin, owing to the fact that the cylinder of the talking-machine is revolving continuously. tion A, I preferably also include in the secondary or telephone circuit 11 a telephone M, so that the operator at the central station may at all times be able to tell whether the talking-machine is operating properly.

By combining the variable-resistance or variable-contact pile D directly with the needle of the talking-machine the sound vibrations or pulsations are produced with great distinctness and clearness on the telephonecircuit and in the telephones.

I have illustrated in the drawings what T believe to be the simplest and best means for connect-ing the carbon pile D with the needle of the talking-machine; but my invention is not limited to the particular mechanism employed for this purpose, as any suitable mechanism may be used which will serve to transmit the vibrations of the needle to the pile of carbon disks, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim- 1. The combination with a talking-machine located ata central station, of a motor running the same continuously, a variable-re- At the central sta-- \Vhen the wheel 19 completes its sistance pile connected with and operated by the needle of the talking-machine, a primary circuit in which said pile'is included, a secondary or telephone circuit leading to a series of substations, each of which is furnished with a time-train, a coin or token con trolled circuit-breaker and a telephone adapted to be included in the telephone circuit when said telephone-circuit is'broken through the time-train by operation of the coin or tokemstxbstantially as specified;

2. The combination with a talking-machine located at'a central station, of a variable re-' sistance connected with and operated by the needle of the talking-machine, aprimary circuit in which said variable resistance isiineluded, a telephone-circuit, and a series of telephones therein located at a series of substations, and a series of slot-machine or coincontrolled mechanisms at said substations for putting said telephones in and out of circuit,

substantially/as specified. I I

4 3. The-combination with a telephone-circuit, of a series of telephones located at a se- Jries of substations and adapted 'to be included in said circuit, a series of s1ot-1nachines or coin-controlled mechanisms at said tially as specified.

' EDWARD ILAMET;

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, V EDMUND ADoocK. 

